Silent Remedy
by Solora Goldsun
Summary: He has been hurt one too many times. This time, his return comes with more problems than anyone could have predicted. Will Kevin ever truly heal? Gwevin and Brotherly Bevin!
1. Chapter 1

**Well, my friends... You got something good out of this whole ordeal with Kevin turning evil. Now that my Angstitis is gone, I am feeling more inspiration for Ben 10 than I have felt in ages. I recognize Man Of Action's skill in hitting me so well in the emotional department. But WHY is it always when Kevin is mutated? That was what made me into the Gwevin Prophet the first time and it's what's bringing me back now! I guess it's because, despite the pain, this is probably the best plotline Ben 10 has seen in ages. Well, you probably saw my two Angst fics I wrote the other day. This one...well...it's gonna have some of my trademark fluff but you'll have to bear with a little bit of Angst because it's inevitable in this scenario. But there will be plenty of comfort and hugs! Promise! Because Kevy needs it... Takes place a few days after The Forge of Creation. Enjoy!**

Ben stared dully at the television screen. He had seen this episode of Sumo Slammers already. He munched mechanically on the popcorn on his lap, not even tasting the salt or butter. Food just didn't taste right anymore. His thoughts were always on Kevin...his best friend...who was now his enemy again.

Beep, beep, beep.

Ben started and looked down at his wrist. Someone was trying to talk to him through the Ultimatrix. For a second, he considered just ignoring it. He really didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment. 'Pick it up, Ben!' An inner voice scolded. 'Just because you're sad doesn't mean you don't have a responsibility!' Sheesh...his inner voice sounded just like Gwen... Grimacing, he pressed a button on the Ultimatrix.

"Ben Tennyson!" Azmuth's hologram leaped up in the beam of light from the watch.. Ben stared nervously down at it.

"Uh...Hi Azmuth! How's life?" He said, trying to sound cheerful but failing miserably. "You, um...wanna talk to me about how the universe is saved and all that?" 'Of course not! He wants to yell at you! What else does he ever do?'

Azmuth narrowed his eyes. "As a matter of fact, I do! Do you have any idea what has been released into the universe? Because of your incompetence, a monster even greater than Aggregor is running loose!"

"Kevin chose to absorb the Ultimatrix! I didn't tell him to!"

'Yes you did.'

'Yeah but...well...that was a different me!'

'Excuses, excuses...'

'Get out of my head, Gwen!'

"If you had kept Aggregor from the Forge of Creation in the first place, Kevin wouldn't have had to absorb!" Azmuth's arms flailed angrily. "Now we have an even bigger problem! What's stopping Kevin from trying to achieve ultimate power? And if you were powerless against Aggregor, you're going to be next to worthless against Kevin!"

"Thanks for that little boost to the ego..." Ben murmured sarcastically.

"Spare me your attitude! You premature humans can never understand the magnitude of-"

Beep, beep, beep.

"Whoops! Sorry! Got another call!"

"I'm not-!"

Ben pressed another button, replacing Azmuth's image with...Gwen's! "Hey, Gwen. What's up?" Her face was so pale...even on the hologram, he could see the dark circles under her eyes. Despite how strong she had acted at the Forge, Ben knew how much Kevin's change was hurting her. She looked like she hadn't slept at all since they returned.

"It's Kevin." Gwen's voice cracked as she said his name. Her hand which held her own Plumber badge trembled. 'Stay strong, Gwen. Stay strong.' She took a deep breath before turning back to Ben's image. "He's on Earth." That knowledge made her both happy and depressed. Excited and terrified. Hopeful and hopeless. "I just got a call saying that he's at the old nuclear power plant. Remember? Where P'andor tried to absorb all of that energy?"

"I remember." Ben muttered grimly, already getting an idea on where this was going. "Is he trying to..."

"Absorb the power there? Yes. Already started."

"I'm on my way!" Ben ended the transmission with Gwen before walking outside. 'Let's see...this looks like a job for Jetray!' He slammed his hand on the watch. He could feel himself morphing...changing... "XLR8!" He shouted as the green light cleared. He blinked a few times. "Huh...not what I was going for but...it works!" Sliding the protective black visor down over his face, he sped off.

He had forgotten how great it was to be XLR8. 'I guess seeing my old self made me kinda nostalgic...' He could feel his wheeled feet speeding over the ground. There was no friction, no fatigue, no worries! He dodged objects with his speedy reflexes. His exhilaration was so great, he almost passed Gwen's house entirely. "Whoops!" He came to a quick halt. Unfortunately, he misjudged his position and ended up falling head over heels. "Ouch...I guess I'm a little rusty..."

Gwen looked down at her cousin with a wry smile. "Haven't seen him in a long time!" She commented, kneeling down. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Ben replied, knowing full well Gwen wasn't really talking about his fall. He got back to his feet and held out his arms. "Ready to go?"

"No. But do we really have a choice?"

…...

Ben felt his stomach drop as the power plant came into view. He remembered that battle with P'andor... It stood out in his mind as one of the times when his team was totally in sync. They had used strategy and played off each others' weaknesses and strengths in order to finally subdue the powerful radioactive alien. 'P'andor is within Kevin...' Ben thought to himself, remembering how Kevin had taken the five aliens from Aggregor. 'They all are...' This made what Gwen and Ben were going to have to do even harder. Not only would he be fighting Kevin, but he'd also be, in a way, fighting the five innocent souls who had only wanted to go home. After halting at the entrance, he pressed the symbol on his chest and turned back to normal.

Gwen stared morosely at the dark, gaping doorway leading into the plant. The workers had all fled by this point. She could hear the faint sound of movement inside and her heart did several backflips. 'Kevin...' She turned toward Ben. He didn't say anything. He just put a gentle hand on her shoulder and nodded his head. She smiled weakly before taking a deep breath and approaching the interior.

'Power...so much...so...delicious...' Kevin's green eyes widened with manic pleasure. He could feel it...raw nuclear energy...becoming his! All his! The part of him that held P'andor's power was especially pleased. He loved it! So many aliens...he could feel all of their powers, strengths, weaknesses, thoughts... 'More!' He drank in another wave of fresh vigor.

"Kevin!"

Kevin spun around. Who dared to interrupt him? Who? He wasn't surprised to see that it was Ben and Gwen. Those two troublesome worms... Probably here to try to beg for him to come back to them. They'd lecture on how important friendship was and blah, blah, blah.

'Gwen! Ben!' An annoying voice shouted in the back of his mind. Kevin snarled in agitation. He thought he had shut that voice up! It didn't have the strong, rich tone that he possessed. It was purely human and whiny. He wished it would just die already. 'Gwen!' He felt a twinge in his skull as that other, beaten, subdued side of him pounded futilely at the wall he had built around his heart. It was worthless! He was stronger than that maggot!

"Don't interfere." He growled aloud to the Tennysons. "You can't stop me." 'I hope they do try...they'll be so fun to kill...'

'NO!' He felt his soul jump for a moment. Quickly, he beat down on that insignificant alter-ego. He didn't need it ruining his fun...

"Don't make us do this, Kevin!" Ben called to the monstrous form of who used to be his closest friend. He could feel his chest hurting like crazy at the thought of having to fight the person who had been his older brother for the past year and a half.

"'Don't make us do this, Kevin!'" Kevin said in a mocking voice. "You're pathetic! Both of you! You don't understand what strength is!" He raised his Taedenite arm and pointed it at them. "Now, you got ten seconds before I start shooting."

Gwen felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. Before she could stop herself, she started running full-speed toward Kevin. "Kevin!"

"Gwen! Stop!" Ben shouted.

"Ten...nine...eigh-ONE!" A beam of bronze colored electricity shot toward Gwen's head.

'GWEN!' He beat down the voice once more as Ben shoved his cousin out of the way of the blast, sending both teens tumbling to the hard floor. He scowled at the relief felt by that weak side of him.

'Pipe down!' He grumbled mentally. 'You're making me nauseous!'

Ben groaned as he stood up. He turned his gaze back toward Kevin, feeling a sinking sense of defeat. "I guess it can't be helped..." He muttered, beginning to flip through the dials on the Ultimatrix. 'Best make this quick...' Scrunching his eyes shut, he hit the watch. "CHROMASTONE!"

Kevin shot another shockwave at Ben, who absorbed it and attempted to send it back in a prism-like beam. Kevin just laughed as the beam went into him. "That won't work, Tennyson!" Laughing with fiendish pleasure, he shot a flurry of sharp Taedenite crystals which were blocked by a wall of mana.

Even through the shield, Gwen could feel the sharp edges of each light green missile as if it was scratching at her own skin. 'Why do I have to do this? Is this some kind of sick joke?' She thought mournfully as she sent an energy disk at Kevin, who absorbed it. She felt the shield shatter under a flow of fire from Kevin's Swampfire hand.

"Come on, Gwen!" Ben called out to her. 'This isn't good...we need a new plan...' He could see the reluctance plain on her face as she turned toward him. "Come on!" His voice was both urgent and tender.

Gwen forced herself to turn away from Kevin and run after Ben, dodging propelled attacks as she ran. Both she and Ben kept running until they were well outside the factory gates. Gwen collapsed against the wall that fenced the area and sank to the ground. "He's worse than I thought..." She murmured, her green eyes glinting with tears.

"I know..." Ben agreed, sitting down next to her. "And I can't bring myself to fight him fully..."

"I don't care how big of a threat he is." Gwen moaned, putting her face in her hands. "I won't hurt him!"

"Maybe there's another way..." Ben said thoughtfully. "I mean...he turned back to normal the first time. If only I could figure out how..."

"Why couldn't this have been like last time?" Gwen ran her fingers agitatedly through her hair. "At least his mind was human then. We were able to help him...at least by being there until we cured him..."

"Yeah...if only it was..." Ben's eyes suddenly widened. "Last time!"

"Huh?" Gwen looked up, her eyes rimmed with red.

"Last time!" Ben said, an excited grin coming to his face. "How did he become mutated last time?"

"The Omnitrix malfunctioned..." Gwen wasn't sure where Ben was going with this.

"And how did he change back?"

"The Omnitrix was destroyed." Gwen said simply. Ben grinned at her for a few minutes while her mind went over what she had just said. Then, all at once, she could feel a little lightbulb appearing over her head. "The Omnitrix was destroyed!" Her expression darkened an instant later, however. "Wait...does that mean you're going to..."

"It worked the first time, didn't it?" Ben shrugged his shoulders before looking down at his wrist. "Ultimatrix. Voice Activation on."

"_Voice recognized. What is your command?"_ The mechanical voice said in a jerky fashion.

"Ultimatrix, release." The band that secured the Ultimatrix to Ben's wrist immediately let go.

"_Release successful."_

"Ben..." Gwen started nervously. "Are you sure?" 'Yes he is! Shut up now!'

Ben locked his emerald eyes with Gwen's. "I'm sure, Gwen."

"Are we sure it will work?"

"Nope, but I'm willing to risk it." Ben opened his mouth to give the next command.

"Ben!" Gwen stopped Ben before she could stifle her own voice. "What will you do? I mean...you don't have any powers so..."

"I'll manage." Ben said shortly. Before Gwen could say anything else, he said: "Self destruction sequence. Activate."

"_Destruct sequence activated. Ultimatrix will self destruct in twenty seconds."_

Ben turned to Gwen. "How far do you think you can throw this?"

Gwen took the watch in her hand and took a deep breath. "Pretty far." She watched as the countdown went down to ten seconds. 'I hope this works...' Her hand became surrounded by her classic magenta aura and she propelled the piece of Level 10 tech into the sky.

"_FIVE...Four...Three...two...one..."_

BOOM!

Ben and Gwen both clasped their hands to their ears as the Ultimatrix was destroyed with an earth-shattering clap. Still trembling from the repercussions, they turned on their heels and ran back toward the factory.

…...

'Just a little more...' He was partially happy, partially dismayed that he was almost done. He'd have to find another place to feed soon... He extended his hand and was just touching the hot metal when he suddenly felt something slamming into his skull. He clapped a mangled hand to the back of his head, howling in agony. He spun around, seeing red, ready to kill whoever had hit him. No one was there. 'Wha...' "AAAARRRRGGGHHH!" He fell to his knees, clutching his scalp.

Pound. Pound. Pound.

He felt himself being beaten further and further into the icy cold ground with each strike. His muscles started contracting. His bones were crackling. His flesh was writhing. He was becoming smaller. 'What is this? No! Stop! Stop!'

'Yes!' The weak voice sounded. It was stronger...

'Get back!' He snarled, falling trembling to the ground. Taedenite was falling like rain.

'No! I'm coming out! YOU get back!' It pounded him once more.

'No...get...get...' It was getting weaker...weaker...gone...

'Yes...I'm...I...' Kevin felt his hands grow soft again. The ugly influence in his heart faded with every pulse of pain that went through him. He flinched, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. It hurt... It was wonderful! But it hurt...

The pain...it was receding now... 'Gone...all gone...leaving...' His head still hurt, but...the pain was going. Still, something was wrong. His head...it didn't feel completely right. Thoughts weren't completing themselves as they streamed unchecked through his mind. 'Hands warm...soft...hot metal...cold...pulse...beating...mind...skin tight...head...' He opened his mouth to let out a groan...but nothing came. His eyes snapped open. 'Wha...?'

"Kevin!" Gwen stared down at the fallen form of her boyfriend. He was on the ground, curled in a ball, trembling slightly. She knelt down, touching his ragged, ripped black shirt. "Kevin...are you okay?" She asked hesitantly. He was back to normal but...something was wrong...

'Voice...voice...Gwen...' He stared dumbly into a pair of grass colored eyes. 'Green...leaves...emerald...eye...Gwen...eye...red fire...Gwen...' She touched a hand to his cheek. 'Light...feather...touch...Gwen...' He opened his mouth to speak...but not a sound escaped his throat. His voice...it was gone! He couldn't speak! 'Voice...speak gone...silence...'

"Kevin, it's us." Ben bent down and set himself next to Gwen so he and Kevin were eye to eye. "Don't you...recognize us at all?" Kevin's eyes were more bleary than they should have been...

'Ben...talk...Ben...' Kevin found himself reaching out and touching his fingertips to Ben's cheek. 'Warm...face...Ben's face...real...' He brushed his other hand against Gwen's face. 'Soft...Gwen...real...here...' His hand traced the side of her face. She was smiling...her eyes were closed...his fingers touched something wet. 'Wet...wetness...' He pulled his hand away. His other hand touched something wet. He pulled it back too. 'Wet...wet...red...red wetness...blood...' His eyes widened with horror. 'Blood...shot...crystal shot...me...I...hurt...I hurt...Ben...Gwen...' With a silent yell, he jumped up and backed away from the Tennysons.

"Kevin!" Gwen stood up. "It's okay! It's us!" 'What's wrong with him?'

"Calm down, Kevin. You're fine now." Ben felt his brows furrowing. 'What happened?'

'No...I...pain...cause pain...can't be...near...' Tears swam in his eyes, blurring his vision even more. Wildly, he ran past Ben and Gwen, toward the door. 'Away...leave...hurt...pain...must...leave...'

"Kevin!" Gwen could feel herself beginning to cry as she made to follow him, only to be stopped by Ben. She turned angrily on her cousin. "Let me go! We need to-"

"We need to let him be." Ben stared at the doorway where Kevin disappeared. "He needs time to himself."

"But he might get-"

"We'll keep an eye on him from a distance." Ben assured her. "And we'll intervene if something bad happens, but forcing him will only make it worse."

"I...okay..." Gwen muttered, her shoulders slumping and her heart deflating. "I guess it's the best we can do...but...when can we-"

"One week." Ben said, guessing at her question. "We'll try to talk to him again in one week."

Gwen bowed her head in defeat. "Fine...one week..."

…...

Kevin looked around. He could remember...there was a place...an old hideout...he lived there when he had first escaped the Null Void. It was a little on the outskirts of Bellwood... If only he could remember... There! It was an old, abandoned warehouse. No one had used it in years. The wood was a little more rotten than he remembered... 'Rotted...wet...' He crawled through the sunken in entrance, pushing some rusty nails out of the way as he felt his way around. There was a pile of moldy blankets in the corner, right where he had left them. He wiped some of the white fungus off of the faded blue scraps of cloth before pulling them over himself. He shivered once before his body heat began to warm up the damp coverings. 'Warm...damp warm...'

His thoughts trailed back to the factory. He had hurt Ben and Gwen. And he had enjoyed it. He hadn't wanted to but...he had. What was wrong with his mind? Why couldn't he speak? Why couldn't he think in complete sentences? All that came and went in his mind were...images. He could see himself fighting the two most important people in his life. 'Life...hurt...me...bad...' He sneezed into the wet blanket and curled up into a tighter ball, eventually falling into a fitful sleep.

**Well what do you think? Should I keep going? I think so! You know, I honestly think that destroying the Ultimatrix will be how they get Kevin back. You know what my theory is? I think Kevin changed back to normal the very first time when Ben had the Omnitrix removed. You know how Gwen talked about how hard it was to remove it the first time? And you know how the aliens were different when Ben put it on in AF? I think the Omnitrix deactivated or "broke" when Gwen and Max forced it off and that caused Kevin to change back to normal. That's just my thought... And to explain Kevin's little...problem at the end of this Chapter, lemme ask you this: Do you think that ANYONE can handle turning into a monster THREE times and becoming evil TWICE without feeling any physical or psychological effects? Honestly, if Kevin is completely normal when he turns back for real, I will be stunned. Gimme reviews! Reviews are love! You're likely to be hearing a lot more from me in the Ben 10 department though! Hasta la pasta!**


	2. Chapter 2

**And here we are with Chapter 2! I think this story has great potential. There's just one thing: I'll need help if I'm gonna go through this to the end! I only have one Chapter story that I can see myself finishing and that's Mending the Breach. If this is gonna be my second completed multi-chapter work, I'll need REVIEWS! I'm sure you guys can oblige, right? Anyway, this chapter deals mostly with Kevin's struggles. And some comfort. Yes, he's gonna get some comfort here. I think he's suffered enough and deserves some hugs pretty early in this story, don't you? Anyway, here we go!**

Kevin hardly even noticed the blisters forming on his feet. He hadn't tried absorbing any metal or stone to make it easier to endure the elements. He couldn't. 'No more...no absorb...touch...bad...bad touch...' He tripped over a crack in the pavement and let out a soundless gasp of pain. The sun was just beginning to rise. He had just left his mom's house. He had placed the Plumber's badge on the doorstep before leaving. He wouldn't go back. He couldn't face her... 'Monster...bad hurt...pain...'

Honestly, he had no clue what he was going to do next. He had tried getting into his car and driving quietly away from the house, but his mind wasn't connected enough to drive. Heck, it was hardly in a state that allowed him to walk! All at once, Kevin felt his feet move out from under him as he fell smack on the sidewalk. He could feel his vocal chords vibrating as they would if he was able to whimper. He lifted his hand to see a warm trickle of blood running across it. The rough cement had cut his hand. Without thinking about it, he touched his tongue to the small wound, not really feeling the pain of it. 'Is...possible...me...more pain?'

A faint gurgling sound sound came to his ears. He turned his head left and right, trying to figure what it could have been. Then he felt an uncomfortable burning sensation in his stomach. 'Food...eat...eat food...' He started jerkily walking toward the nearest grocery store. If he was lucky, he'd be able to buy something and get out before anyone started asking questions.

Kevin felt the five dollar bill in his pocket and felt a sinking sensation in his chest as he entered the store. 'Not...much...food...buy...money...buy...'

In the end, he bought half a loaf of the cheapest white bread and an apple. He had about a dollar left. 'Slow...eat...slowly eat...slow...' He thought grimly to himself, taking a tiny bite of the bruised red fruit. It fell into his empty stomach, making the acid burnings and rumbles even worse than before. The sun was starting to get high. 'People...come...hide...' He quickly ducked into a nearby alleyway. He wrinkled his nose. It smelled foul, like carrion and feet. Grimacing, trying not to look at what he was walking on, Kevin made his way to the other end and sat down against a filthy brick wall. Well, there was a plus side to his surroundings: He wasn't likely to get his appetite back for awhile.

…...

"Where is he?" Gwen was pacing back and forth, tapping her finger impatiently against her wrist.

"He'll be here soon." Ben replied for the thousandth time.

"He was scheduled to be here two minutes ago!"

"Gwen, he's a dog-like Mechamorph. I don't think he pays much attention to time."

"We need to talk to Julie. She needs to train him some more."

"Gwen, you just need to be-"

"Ship!"

Gwen did a 180º turn and was kneeling down in front of Ship before Ben could even blink. "How is he, Ship?"

"Ship..." Ship's face took on a sad appearance. He shook his blob head once and made a low whining sound. "Ship..."

"Can I take the next shift?" Gwen asked, her green eyes glinting frantically.

"Sure. Just make sure to-" She bolted out the door before Ben could finish. He breathed a sigh and held out his hand to Ship. "Good boy, Ship." The little Mechamorph nuzzled Ben's hand and blinked proudly.

Gwen, meanwhile, was running on a mana path about a half mile about the town, following the directions she had seen in Ship's mind. She felt a familiar pulse and noticed a flash of dark blue energy. 'Kevin...' Immediately, she sloped her path downward and toward the roof of the building on one side of the alley.

Her heart nearly shattered at what she saw: Kevin lying curled up in a filthy corner, surrounded by garbage. It was all she could do to not just run down, throw her arms around him, and try to convince him to come home. She knew he wouldn't listen. Still, it wasn't easy just sitting around. She noticed a plastic bag of white bread and a fresh apple core close to him. She slipped a hand into her pocket, located a twenty dollar bill, and allowed it to flutter down next to Kevin's head.

At that moment, Gwen heard a rustle of movement further down the alley. Kevin stirred and she quickly ducked out of sight.

…...

"AND FURTHERMORE, THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME YOUR MEDIOCRE CONDUCT HAS HAD THESE REPURCUSSIONS THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE! IF YOU HAD ONE SHRED OF SENSE-"

"AZMUTH!" Ben shouted over the raging Galvin. "Shut up!"

Azmuth's image on the Plumber badge shook, as if he was trembling with rage. "Do you think that Level 10 technology grows on trees?"

"No, I-"

"Do you think I have an endless supply of Ultimatrixes and Omnitrixes?"

"No, but-"

"So why would you even think that-"

"He's my best friend!" Ben snapped. "What was I supposed to do? Just before you were going all crazy because he was a problem. He isn't anymore and now you're yelling at me about my methods!"

"Ben Tennyson, you are probably the most-"

"Yeah, yeah." Ben waved his hand dismissively. "I've heard it all already. I'm an idiotic, stupid Neanderthal who doesn't know how to tie my shoes. Can we move on please? What's done is done! I need your help for the current time!"

Azmuth took a deep breath. He appeared to be trying very hard to calm down. He closed his green eyes for a moment before breathing a heavy sigh. "Very well. What is wrong this time, Ben Tennyson?"

Ben felt a wave of relief wash over him. If anyone knew what to do, it would be Azmuth. "It's Kevin. After the Ultimatrix was destroyed and he became human again...he wasn't...right."

"How so?"

"His eyes...they were..." Ben struggled to find the right word. "...shadowy, as if he wasn't completely seeing us. He didn't speak at all." He stared at the ground as he remembered Kevin's odd behavior. "He just gaped a few times. Then, he seemed to finally realize we were there. He jumped away and ran. He hasn't been home. He's just been...wandering."

Azmuth was nodding his head, a sympathetic glimmer coming to his intelligent eyes. "That's to be expected."

"What?" Ben's head snapped up. "What do you-"

"Kevin Levin has gone through enough trauma in his life to make at least five ordinary humans lose their minds. This incident of turning into a monster and going insane before turning back again must have been the last straw." Azmuth folded his arms. "It was only a matter of time the way he was going..."

Ben felt his stomach sink down to his feet. "You mean...Kevin's lost his mind? For good?"

"I'm afraid that's impossible to say." Azmuth shrugged his shoulders, his expression calculating. "He could have finally lost it, meaning that he now is going to have mental and emotional issues for the rest of his life. He may be suffering a form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, poor child. Perhaps the rapid physical changes have rendered him unable to talk and he fled out of sheer guilt. His mind may be fine. Until we get a better idea, I advise simply watching him and keeping him well fed and out of danger. If the sight of you upsets him, do everything in secret."

"We planned on approaching him in a week."

"A good idea." Azmuth nodded. "But I would suggest only one of you going to him at a time. This may be a slow process."

"I understand." Ben muttered, frowning at these unwelcome possibilities. "Thanks, Azmuth."

"You're welcome, Ben Tennyson." Azmuth's image flickered. "I must go now. I'd best get starting on _another_ watch... I am greatly debating the knowledge in giving it to you when I finish..." With that, the hologram vanished, leaving Ben to his thoughts.

…...

Kevin's throat vibrated in a weak attempt to groan as his eyes opened. He had heard a sound... 'Who...sound...noise make...come...here?' He could hear the sound of light feet trotting across the hard ground. Judging by the small space of time between feetfalls, the being was a quadruped. 'Good...no person...want...no...'

"Gr..." A weak snarl sounded nearby.

Kevin sat up and stared at where the sound had come from: the shadowed area on the far end of a dumpster. A smallish figure was crouched there. He could see the glint of eyes. He crawled forward a little.

"Grrrrr..." The growl was slightly stronger and more insistent.

'Dog...growl...sound feet...dog...' Kevin moved a bit closer, which was odd: Normally, he would have either ignored or shooed the creature away. Something was different this time. He couldn't put a finger on why he was doing what he was doing. It just felt right. He reached behind him into the bag of white bread, broke a piece off of one of the slices and held it out toward the hostile animal.

The dog was sniffing the air, trying to detect exactly what the source of the food smell was. She started forward, slowly and hesitantly. As she came out into the light, Kevin was able to get a better look at her. She was an Australian Shepherd with a white coat dappled with gray and brown, and speckled with black spots. Her right eye was a dark, rich brown while her left was a clear, crystal blue color. Kevin could easily count each rib sticking out of her chest. Her head was poised forward, as if she wanted to move closer but was afraid to.

Kevin held out the bread and made a soft clicking sound with his tongue. The dog's ears perked up at the sound and she took a few steps nearer. Kevin tossed the bread so it was sitting at her feet. Immediately, she fell on the tiny morsel ravenously. 'Hungry...dog...is...hungry...' Kevin quickly turned and grabbed another bigger piece of bread and threw it toward the dog, who inhaled it even quicker than the last piece.

It became an automatic motion. His arm shot back and grabbed some bread and tossed it at the dog, who ate it. This series of actions went on, one after the other, until Kevin's hand hit nothing but empty bag. His eyes widened with horror. 'Food...my...eat...gone now...' He looked over his shoulder. How much of that apple was- His mouth dropped open. Lying on the ground was a crisp, green twenty dollar bill. 'Money...for food...buy...food...' He grabbed the money and quickly stuffed it into his pocket, as if he was worried that someone would snatch it. 'Good...food buy...'

A low whine from the dog made Kevin turn his head. She was still standing a distance away, but her eyes were now shining and hopeful. Kevin felt a flash of sadness. 'No can...feed...both dog...me...' Sighing silently, he got to his feet and started to walk back up the alley toward where the grocery store was.

Click, click, click.

Kevin looked back over his shoulder. The dog was following him. He waved his hand in a shooing motion before continuing.

Click, click, click.

Kevin turned and stomped his foot firmly on the ground before waving his hand in a more insistent fashion. 'If only...speak...' He turned on his heel and kept walking.

Click, click, click.

Kevin stooped down and picked up a rock. He spun around and threw it as hard as he could, not aiming for the dog but at a garbage can nearby. The dog barked at the loud noise and quickly bolted out of sight. Kevin felt a pang of sadness at the dog's departure but forced himself to turn back toward the store. 'No can...take care...dog...me...both...'

Later that evening, Kevin sat down to a meal of cheese, a single slice of watermelon, and a hunk of bread washed down with some water from the store's drinking fountain. That night he fell asleep full, but not satisfied.

It was a chilly night and Kevin was shivering violently, even in his state of deep sleep. Little did he know, shortly after the tremors began, they were halted by the sudden arrival of something furry and warm curling up against him...

**Like the dog? I don't care how irrelevant it may seem... Kevin needs a dog, darnit! I mean, if he's gonna be isolating himself from Ben and Gwen after a traumatic monstrous experience that left him a shadow of his former self, he's gonna need _something_ nice. Also, I was ticked when he left behind the adorable fishy. I've been wanting him to have a pet for ages so now he's got one! Moving on...I need to vent on this new episode... **

**BEN IS A TOTAL BUTTFACE! *start sarcasm* Then again, his thoughts make _total_ sense: Save the evil murderer who is making prisoners break their backs mining Alien Acid, but resolve to kill your mentally unstable best friend. What impeccable logic! *end sarcasm* I mean REALLY! Isn't he the one always preaching that they can't go killing people. KEVIN DIDN'T EVEN KILL ANYONE YET! And yet the Alien Acid dealer deserves sympathy? GAAAAAH!**

**Still, I gotta give it some props... The look into Kevin's past was pretty good. It also brought one of my early Prophecies back into the realm of possibility! Those of you who have read my fanfic From Nightmare to Fantasy know that I have always had a theory of Kevin becoming a monster but changing back because Gwen tells him that she loves him. The fact that his first transformation was cured through his own mental efforts MAKES THAT A POSSIBILITY AGAIN! So I'm hopeful. ^_^ Either that, the Ultimatrix will break, or Darkstar will absorb all the excess energy, making HIM the main villain.**

**Something else that blew me away was the Alien Acid (that's my name for the blue dust drug that creep was selling by the way). I mean, HOLD UP! I can't comprehend this: a cartoon in this day and age that is geared toward children, is not rated PG, but has... *gasp* _adult undertones?_ *dramatic music* I mean, I knew Ben 10 has its moments but...Alien Acid...maybe not all animation studios think that kids are a bunch of wussy marshmallows after all...**

**Well, I think that was a long enough review. Speaking of reviews...REVIEW! The Prophet has left the building!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Allow me a moment to do my happy dance... NAH-NAH-NAH-NAH! NAH-NAH! NAH-NAH, CAN'T TOUCH THIS! Okay, I'm done... I just gotta say some things about this episode. First of all IT WAS SUPER-MEGA-AWESOME-SWEETNESS-EPIC-HARDCORE-RADICAL-BANANA-PHONE-SUNDAE! Er...don't know where those last three words came from... Still high... Anyway, this episode was so intense, there were times where I almost wanted to turn it off! Example: Kevin piercing Gwen with his Taedenite claw and her screaming. I literally started trembling at that! I'm not a big fan of how Cooper turned out. He's like Kevin but with blonde hair and blue eyes. He's like Kevin and Mike's love child!**

…

**ARGH! NOW I GOT BAD IMAGES IN MY HEAD! *smacks self* Out, out, out! Also, I was kinda disappointed in the ending. Kevin becomes human. LOVE that. Gwen kisses Kevin. LOOOOVE that. Kevin shows no effects of his trauma and everything instantly goes back to normal... Yeah, not buying that quite so much. Sometimes I think Man of Action should hire me. I mean, Kevin going on a guilt trip while being mentally unstable would make an EPIC Season 2 plot, am I right? Ah well. I don't care what MOA says. THIS is what I'm writing for our Kevy. Enjoy!**

A gust of wind blew the newspaper off of Kevin's back. He shivered and looked up, blinking blearily. 'Blanket...gone...' Beside him, the dog stirred in her sleep. Kevin sighed and hugged her close, trying to get as much warmth from her as possible. After a few days of trying to chase her away, he had finally given up on getting rid of her. Right now, he was glad of that! 'Warm...dog...friend...' He closed his eyes and slipped into dreamland again.

"_GET AWAY FROM ME!" They were shooting at him...shooting these...hard objects. They burned as they entered his flesh... He could see in three directions at once: up, forward, and backward. On all sides, they were closing in on him._

_He let out a roar and raised a tawny claw. A pair of green scaled lips opened and spat venom. With a bloodcurdling howl, a pair of black horns attempted to create a psychic shield. Warm, fur-bordered jowls opened wide. Teeth sank into flesh... Blood was flowing..._

_A sharp pain went through his shoulder. His strength was fading. "No...go...away..." He felt his vision becoming obscured by blackness..._

Kevin woke up to the feeling of a tongue licking his face. He batted the dog away with a hand and sat up. She was sitting attentively, panting slightly. Her mismatched eyes were glittering cheerfully. Kevin felt a smile come to his face. 'Good...dog...' He reached out and stroked her ears.

As the dog rested her head on his lap, Kevin thought back to the dream he had. Despite his inability to string words together on his own, he could still understand what was being conveyed to him. In the dream, he had been something else. Some creature he had never seen before... He had felt fur, scales, and growths all over his body. He had had such power...not like the power he had had when a mutant, but a purer power. It was great, but controlled. He had been frightened. The men in his dream had been trying to do something very bad to him. He couldn't remember what.

Were these after effects of his...most recent transformation? The thought of his monster self made Kevin shudder violently. Quickly, he pushed the thought away. Now wasn't the time to think of that. He needed food! If able, he would have groaned as he forced himself to his feet. He made a clicking noise with his tongue as he started to walk down the alley and the dog trotted after him. Since he couldn't speak, he was unable to give her a name. Therefore, he had settled to clicking twice with his tongue to call her. She probably thought that that was her name...

'Can't...name...own...dog...' Kevin thought sadly.

As Kevin walked, something caught his eye. Someone had graffitied all across the brick wall next to him. The words were a striking blue color and led along the alley. Kevin stopped where the marks began and looked at them. They were words. He looked along the wall and realized that the entire compilation was a poem. Curious, he began to read the large, blue words.

Diamond blades reflect the moons

A cold, steel light that holds no love

For the coming of fire and smoke

Nor the warmth of suns above

Pale jewels do scatter far

Pieces drift and fade away

Like the breaking of a heart

During the red decline of day

Stone can shatter, as can hearts

As can wood, as can bone

The pain that spreads like poison veins

Comes swiftly when still and alone

When wings are cut, where is the will

To fly away from shadows creeping?

When does one give up and allow

The Arsenic to start its seeping?

Lying, dying on filthy earth

Is the fate of sharded dreams

Till they are forgotten thoughts

Floating in Nirvana's seams

Kevin stared thoughtfully at the cerulean painted words. For some reason, he was able to repeat the words in his head. 'The pain that spreads like poison veins... Comes swiftly when still and alone...'

A questioning bark from his dog broke Kevin from his thoughts. 'Food...need...eat food...'

…...

"You've been awfully quiet." Ben commented, slurping his carrot/popcorn/chocolate/strawberry smoothie. "Still thinking about Kevin? We got Ship on patrol currently."

"I know. It's partially that..." Gwen closed her eyes and rubbed her temples with her fingertips.

"What's the other part?" Ben tilted his head, straw still sticking out of his mouth.

"I had this...dream last night. Only...it didn't feel like _my_ dream. It was like I was there on accident."

"Yeah?" Ben raised an eyebrow. "What happened in the dream?"

Gwen scrunched her eyes shut as she recalled her dream. It had seemed so real... "There was this creature. It...looked like a lion, but it wasn't. There were other parts to it."

"What did the creature do?"

"It was fighting a bunch of men with guns. It howled as if in severe pain. I couldn't move a muscle... One of the people shot a tranquilizer into it and it collapsed. Then, I woke up."

"Huh..." Ben shrugged his shoulders and went back to his smoothie. "You must be tired from the stress of these past few weeks. You're getting weird nightmares."

"If you say so." Secretly, Gwen knew that Ben was wrong. Whatever she had seen, it was real! Somewhere out there, there was a creature that was in agony.

Thinking of creatures in agony immediately brought Gwen's thoughts back to her beloved Kevin. "When will Ship be reporting back to us? It's my turn after him, you know."

"I know." Ben said patiently. "It'll be about fifteen minutes."

Gwen nodded reluctantly and leaned back in her seat. "It's been six days, Ben. The day after tomorrow, I'm going to try to talk to him."

"I won't stop you. This was the deal." Ben tossed his empty cup to the side. "But remember, you gotta be careful. If he runs again, don't try to chase after him."

"I know..." Gwen stared at a stain on the table. "I just...can't stand seeing him like this!"

"Me neither, Gwen." Ben reached over and placed a hand over his cousin's hand. "Me neither..."

…...

Kevin made sickening gagging noises in the back of his throat as he expelled the contents from his stomach. In order to save money, he had bought food that was way past the sell date. Now, he was paying the price for the expired milk, bananas, and hotdogs that had made up his meal. He didn't even notice the dog nearby, barking worriedly and spinning in circles. A few minutes later, he passed out, his head falling into the pool of sick.

A few minutes later, a pair of gray-furred feet were padding down the alleyway. Yellow eyes darted to the left and right as their owner sniffed the air suspiciously. "Ugh!" He muttered. "Someone just hurled!" He hurried his pace, wanting to get away from that smell and back to his temporary hideout. If he just left this alley and...

Something caught his eye. Curiously, he turned his head and let out a gasp of shock. Kevin Levin was lying on the alley floor, completely zonked out! "Hm..." His fangs baring in an excited grin, the figure stooped down and started going through the sick conman's pockets. "Maybe he has..."

"Grrrrrr..."

"Whoa!" The figure immediately jumped up. "Um...nice doggy... Nice doggy..." The dog growled back. He could see that its eyes were different colored. Something about them unnerved him. "Back off, poochy..." He muttered, trying to bend down toward Kevin again. The dog snapped at him and he jumped back. He considered just stunning the dog but decided against it. It wasn't worth it. He'd pick Kevin's pockets some other time. With an annoyed snort, he turned on his heel and began to walk away.

He hadn't gone three steps before a pair of jaws closed on his ankles. "OW!" He tried to yank his foot away. "LET GO! YEOWCH! CRAZY MUTT!" The dog pulled him off of his balance, causing him to crash to the ground. "Why you stupid-" He stopped as the dog trotted back over to Kevin's fallen form. Its eyes were looking piercingly at him. It looked at Kevin and then back at him. It didn't take an idiot to realize what the dog wanted.

"No way!" The figure stood up and shook his elongated head. "There's no way I'm gonna be Kev's babysitter!"

"Grrr..."

He rolled his eyes and walked closer. He'd might as well just stun the stupid canine and be on his way. Just as he was preparing however, something made him stop in his tracks. The dog bent down and licked Kevin's upturned cheek. This caused a pair of yellow eyes to unwillingly go to the fallen teen's face. It was pale and filthy. His eyes were twitching under his eyelids. His teeth were gritted as if he was in some sort of severe pain.

'Walk away, man! Just walk away!' He started to turn away but found himself stopping. 'Get it together, sap! Just go!' His feet refused to move. After a few minutes of indecision, he breathed a sigh of defeat and moved back toward Kevin. "Dude, you are so gonna owe me big time!"

…...

_He was in a white room. Blinding lights shined bitingly into his forced-open eyeballs. His lids were being held apart with little metal hooks. He couldn't blink. He was whimpering in pain. He tried to lash out, to fight back, to distract himself from his agony. His feet were bound, as was the rest of him. He couldn't move! His eyes had stopped tearing ages ago. He could no longer see in front of him. He was only aware of the light...only aware of the light..._

_He heard voices. They were saying things... He couldn't understand them. He felt another needle jab into his side and take some of his vital fluids from within his veins. He tried to yell at them to stop but his mouth had gone as dry as sandpaper. Everything hurt. He wished that they would just kill him already... He wanted to die..._

_Wanted to..._

Soft, pure cloth surrounded him. He felt a certain...cleanliness, like the feeling one gets after a bath. There was something warm draped over him. He was on a bed, rock hard, but very comfortable after his past few days in the alley. Slowly, Kevin opened his eyes. To his total shock, there were two bright yellow orbs looking at him from across the dark room. A word successfully formed in his mind.

'Argit...'

**I decided that, since I was disappointed with the lack of Awesome Argit in the series, I'd put him into this fic to play a part. Good? Bad? And the dreams ARE important. Keep that in mind. And yes, I wrote that poem myself. I write a lot of them. That one took about half an hour...give or take a few minutes... Anyway, back to the episode! MOA, you have skyrocketed my expectations! I will not tolerate anything less awesome than this first season! You'd better not let me down! You've proven you've got the skill. KEEP USING IT! Even though I could have thought of a better ending... Ah well, can't have everything! Seriously though, this finale was enough to make me underwhelmed by the following GENERATOR FREAKING REX episode! I'm NEVER underwhelmed by GR! B10 has moved up to the top of my list again, my friends! Let's keep our fingers crossed for a Season two that will have us on the edges of our seats.**

**One more thing...ANOTHER PROPHECY CAME TRUE! Kevin has a stepdad who was the one to kick him out when he was eleven. SCORE! CALLED IT in...ONE OF MY STORIES! Well, that's all. Intense episode. Should be the model for the rest of the series. Please review! Solora out! ^_^**

**PS- One more thing: MOA loves the fangirls. It's been proven. There was no other point to having Kevin's pants still in place but his shirt gone when he changed back. That was pure fanservice. MOA just gave us obvious fanservice. LOVE HIM! Kevin is SO FREAKING HAWT!**


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